Opinion: We must press forward to be a destination city
Our city was the longest of long shots and Thursday we found out that Cincinnati came up just short in our FIFA World Cup bid. But that will not stop the momentum one bit for what’s ahead.
There has never been a moment in my life when I have been more confident about the future of Cincinnati. As the chair of the Visit Cincy Board of Directors, and co-CEO of FC Cincinnati, I’ve heard directly from people all over the world about how Cincinnati is a wonderful surprise for what we have to offer.
We are becoming a destination city for tourists of all kinds, young talent, renowned artists and global influencers. Our success is led by a thriving food and entertainment scene, beautiful parks and recreation areas, world-class arts, top professional and collegiate sporting events and an inclusive culture. Thanks to unparalleled public, private and civic investments and collaboration throughout our entire region – from Northern Kentucky to our northern suburbs – our region is competing with cities far above our peer set.
Every day, the Visit Cincy team works to sell Cincinnati to visitors throughout the world, drawing diverse visitors to our region. In addition to telling the world about all of the above, we showcase our physical spaces and assets where people will live, work and play while they are here.
Think of the destinations that are new to Cincinnati and what they have meant to the region. FC Cincinnati has opened the award-winning TQL Stadium, which has hosted two international matches with the U.S. Men’s National Team, the U.S. Women’s National Team, as well as the epic return of The Who. These events were enormously successful and brought tens of thousands of visitors and international media attention to the city.
Other assets and destinations are helping us too: The Brady Center music venue on The Banks and the Ovation in Newport are already attracting great concerts. Nearby, Great American Ballpark, Paul Brown Stadium, The Banks and the Smale Riverfront Park and the Crown Bike Trail continue to draw visitors having fun. And 3CDC has stewarded our city’s family room, Washington Park, and they have partnered with private residential and commercial builders to create restaurants, entertainment and living spaces throughout downtown and Over-the-Rhine. These, and many more, are our wildly popular assets and destinations.
But we have some limitations to tackle if we want to take Cincinnati to the next level. Our convention center is old and tired, and our largest convention hotel had fallen into disrepair until leaders intervened and tore it down this year. Thankfully, our city and county leaders recognized the need for a revitalized convention district and have appointed 3CDC to serve as the district’s development quarterback. As a result of this commitment, our community will soon see plans for a newly renovated Convention Center, and a spectacular new privately-owned convention headquarters hotel with 800 rooms and state-of-the-art amenities, and a public plaza that welcomes everyone. All of these projects will be tied directly into our thriving downtown, blocks from Fountain Square and the new Foundry development.
These public and private investments into the Convention Center District will pay off. Per our Visit Cincy team, from the convention leads received, more than 30% indicate they won’t book Cincinnati due to the lack of convention headquarters hotel. This loss equals approximately 142,000 room nights or $68 million per year due to the hotel situation. A world-class convention hotel, in a world-class convention district, will help us recapture these dollars and more.
This ambitious and collaborative leadership is what led Cincinnati to represent well as a finalist for FIFA World Cup in 2026. While we did not win the bid to host matches, FIFA was blown away by what Cincinnati has to offer. That realization is why we do expect to participate as a host training site for a participating country and their fans in 2026. And the respect we earned in the international community has us positioned to compete and win future world-class sporting events as we did with the critical USA-Mexico World Cup qualifier.
Cincinnati is a city that is in demand and attractive to global events. We are building with a strong wind at our back and a determination to make our city stand out. We are a region that is now used to being on a global stage, whether it is with FIFA, the Bengals in the Super Bowl, or BLINK. But we can’t rest on our successes.
That’s why we’re going to press forward to deliver a world-class Convention Center District.
And it’s why we’re not going to stop thinking about what’s next. A new arena? Lids over Fort Washington Way? What else is on your list? With a spirit of optimism, inclusion and confidence in our future, let’s celebrate our wins and work together to improve our region for our hometown families and visitors from all over the world.
Jeff Berding is co-CEO of FC Cincinnati and chair of the Visit Cincy Board of Directors.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Opinion: We must press forward to be a destination city
